Turning Tassels and Envisioning Our Future
On this glorious commencement day in Greensboro, we pause to congratulate our more than 2,600 graduates and express our good wishes as they pursue graduate study, careers, and lives of personal and professional fulfillment.
Days like this remind us that these are challenging times, but also times of opportunity. I am certain UNCG will emerge from the current economic crisis a stronger university. Since our founding in 1891, the needs of our students and the state have shaped the growth and evolution of this university. We must continue to respond to changing needs and set priorities consistent with our character and our core values.
We have concluded a difficult year, one that has been challenging for faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends alike. We have tackled complex issues around academic restructuring, significant budget reductions, and, now, Academic Program Review ? doing so in an uncertain environment that has understandably impacted morale.
In the past weeks, I have facilitated discussions with faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the university. During these conversations, I have heard your concerns and learned a great deal ? most importantly, that people care deeply about UNCG and one another. We must continue to support each other and work together to chart our course for the future. Our focus should remain on building trust and looking toward the future with determination and optimism. I want you to know, as your chancellor, I am committed to this important effort.
In 2008-09, UNCG faculty and staff launched a strategic planning process which committed UNCG to redefine the public research university for the 21st century as an inclusive, collaborative, and responsive institution making a difference in the lives of students and the communities it serves. The emergent plan articulated a mission statement and vision that builds on core values of inclusion, transparency, sustainability, collaboration, and responsibility. In today's ever-changing environment, Strategic Plan 2009-14 is a living document whose goals and action steps should be adjusted as circumstances require.
Academic Program Review can be a roadmap to our academic priorities as we consider how best to position this university for the future. What does excellence require? How can we continue to recruit and support outstanding students? How can we build on our reputation for community-engaged scholarship, research, and creative activity? These are the questions that will ground discussions and decisions of the Academic Program Review process in the months ahead.
During the summer, the Provost and I will work with deans, department heads, faculty, and staff to refine the review process based on legitimate concerns regarding reliability, validity and interpretation of data, and potentially corrosive effects of imposing a highly structured ranking system for our academic programs. We welcome your ideas and specific input via the website, by e-mail, phone, or face-to-face conversation.
The fundamental issues surrounding Academic Program Review concern desired outcomes, criteria for evaluation, and the relationship between our campus review and the UNC General Administration review for purposes of identifying areas of unnecessary duplication.
Let me be clear on two points about which there has been some confusion. First, the Academic Program Review is not designed to identify programs to be eliminated in the next round of budget cuts during 2011-12. The timeline of the review, which expects recommendations to be presented to the Board of Trustees in May 2012, extends far beyond the timeline for implementing budget cuts for the next fiscal year. Second, the Academic Program Review is not designed to provide a rationale for the elimination of tenured or tenure-track faculty positions. I have reaffirmed my commitment to the concept of tenure and AAUP principles regarding due process.
UNCG has a strong history built upon the collaborative efforts of our people. Academic Program Review provides UNCG the opportunity to reinvest in our future, a future we will define collectively. We must maintain our commitment to access, student success, and the outstanding teaching, research, and creative activity for which we are known. And we must engage in those efforts together.
Today let us join in celebrating the success of our students. Tomorrow let us work together to position UNCG for the future.
Sincerely,
Linda P. Brady
Chancellor
